Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training

The Expanse:  

A big and bold yoga teacher training. 

Finally : an evidence-based, activist, practical, and lovingly powerful pregnancy yoga teacher training.

October 4, 5 and 6

Katoomba (Blue Mountains)

Pregnant women practicing yoga yields miracles.

I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the power of women landing in their changed and changing bodies. I’ve seen the growth of women taking responsibility and standing strong in shaping their pregnancy care and birth journeys. I’ve seen tears of trauma shed, sisterly support shared, and the embracing of the most extreme paradoxes and uncertainties.

And I want to see more of this!!! In our patriarchal society, there is a desperate need for reform and revolution in the spaces of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. And I want to see yoga playing its part.

Yoga holds so much power to shape a woman’s experience of pregnancy and birth.

Yoga - when masterfully facilitated and shared - holds so much potential to support pregnant women in general yoga classes, pregnancy specific settings, women’s circles, birth work, and other healing and healthcare spaces.

So hi. I’m Emma. And I’m calling on all yoga teachers and birth workers, calling on all pregnant women who want to dive deep into THE EXPANSE of pregnancy.

The Expanse (Pregnancy Yoga Facilitation Course) is a pregnancy yoga teacher training delivered in-person over 3 days with additional self-directed material and tasks.

It’s a deep dive into pregnancy yoga philosophy and practices.

It’s an even deeper dive into how to masterfully teach and share pregnancy yoga.

Aaaand it’s gonna practically and powerfully prepare you to shape your own pregnancy yoga journey and/or support pregnant women in your spaces.

So let’s go:

October 4, 5 and 6 in Katoomba (Blue Mountains, NSW).

Investment: $999

Who, me? Yes, you!

This pregnancy yoga teacher training is open to…

  • Yoga teachers with any level of experience

  • Yoga teachers from any lineage or school

  • Yoga teachers without formal qualifications or certifications

  • Birth workers including doulas and midwives

  • Women’s workers including women’s circle facilitators

  • Other women’s healing and healthcare workers including physiotherapists, doctors, massage therapists, naturopaths, coaches, and mentors who work with pregnant women

  • Pregnant women with any level of yoga knowledge/experience who wish to deepen their own practice

TBH it’s more of a don’t care who you are, what you did, where you’re from, as long as you love uplifting women kinda vibe. And that you’re ready (e.g. to learn openly and actively) and willing (e.g. to practice teaching in front of a group) and committed (e.g. to integrating these teachings into your work in your own unique way).

You DON’T need to already be teaching yoga.

You DON’T need to have been pregnant.

You DON’T need to be a bit of a hippie or follow a particular spiritual path.

I’m Emma, your pregnancy yoga guide and trainer.

Hey girl heyyy! I’m a yoga teacher of one decade, specializing in pre- and post-natal yoga. Pregnancy yoga is my passion, because powerfully and practically supporting women is my calling.

Flashback to 2020: after a trying conception journey, I was thrilled to be pregnant. I was ready to become your blissful earthy goddess mama! But then, I was FLOORED by how uncomfortable and vulnerable I felt. I had a similarly challenging experience with my second pregnancy in 2024!

Pregnancy yoga was twice over my saving grace. It soothed and helped me connect with my achy, dysfunctional, foreign-feeling body. It offered me tools for softening, relaxing, and surrendering. And it made me feel strong and capable leading up to and during birth.

I began to realize this sense of inner peace and power was not the norm. And that we live in a society does that not even WANT this to be the norm.

Time for me to step up.

Time to learn, integrate, and share pregnancy yoga.

I’d done my first pregnancy yoga teacher training years ago, because my heart almost fluttered out of my damn chest when a heavily pregnant woman came to one of my general classes. But it’s taken years more of training and self-study — as well as dozens and dozens of hours of boldly teaching in a variety of settings — to become the successful pregnancy yoga teacher I am today.

Read more about me here.

What the training covers.

This pregnancy yoga teacher training gives you the knowledge and skills to share pregnancy yoga in a variety of settings:

  • general classes at yoga studios and other venues, i.e. making your existing offerings more pregnancy friendly

  • pregnancy specific classes at yoga studios and other venues

  • online

  • group spaces for women’s work such as women’s circles and mother blessings

  • 1-1 spaces for women’s health and healing such as doula work, midwifery, physiotherapy, and massage

And in case you haven’t noticed by now: The Expanse is a HIGHLY practical training. It’s not only about the amazing teachings and practices, it’s about practicing those practices AND practicing sharing those practices.

COURSE OUTLINE *

  • Modern context of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and motherhood

  • Evidence-based importance and benefits of pregnancy yoga

  • Basic physical anatomy of pregnancy

  • Subtle, energetic anatomy of pregnancy

  • Yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy and scriptures on pregnancy and birth

  • Basic principles of pregnancy yoga for asana (movement and postures), pranayama (mindful breathing practices), relaxation, meditation, and sequencing a class or experience

  • Yoga for birth preparation

  • Considerations and modifications for common pregnancy conditions and complications

  • Teaching and facilitation for pregnancy yoga

  • Hands-on adjustments and assists

  • Language for facilitation and marketing

  • Supporting pregnant people in general settings

  • Creative uses of pregnancy yoga

  • Practicalities and business of pregnancy yoga

  • Yoga for postpartum and motherhood

* May be amended and added to.

What signing up to the training includes.

  • 18 hours of in-person training over 3 days

  • Additional reading and content for self-study

  • 4 hours of online sample classes for your own practice and/or study

  • Several take-home tasks on which you’ll receive personalised feedback

  • Opportunities to teach and facilitate in front of the training group

  • Suggestions for further reading and study

  • A comprehensive training manual

  • A 30-minute mentoring session with me (waitlist only)

  • A personalised welcome gift mailed to you

The investment for all of this is $999. Payment plans are available. Now’s the time, sister!

“Remember this, for it is as true as true gets: Your body is not a lemon.”

- Ina May Gaskin

What people say about pregnancy yoga with me.

  • “Thank you for creating such a beautiful practice. I am getting so much out of this, and feel really safe and empowered to take lots of rest and make adjustments.”

    Tascha F.

  • “I really enjoyed the classes and how you created a warm and comfortable space online for me to take my own journey through. A lovely experience."

    Gianna C.

  • “It’s so good to be guided. I wasn’t sure what movement was safe, and I was surprised at how much I can still do! I always felt relaxed after your classes, too."

    Vic W.

  • “Labour was really long, but I used breathing and movement throughout - I'm thankful I was able to prepare and experiment with pregnancy yoga."

    Kassie D.

  • "Emma always talks through each movement and ways to ensure safety, which has made me feel more comfortable attempting yoga independently at home."

    Tika B.

“I had been waiting for a training in pregnancy yoga to come my way that aligned with my own values around birth and I was so excited when Emma announced her training. Emma holds a deep knowledge of yoga, which I have great respect for, and her values around empowering women in their pregnancy and birth is what we need to bring to pregnancy yoga. It was a privilege to learn from Emma, because of this training, I have gained the confidence and knowledge to kickstart me into my own teaching. I couldn't recommend being guided by Emma in this training high enough.”

— Aimee, birth worker and yoga teacher (the Expanse 2024)

“This has been very healing, thank you for the beautiful gift you have bought into the world with this training.”

— S, yoga teacher (the Expanse 2024)

“Emma held space beautifully for our group to immerse ourselves in training and soak in all her wonderful wisdom. There were so many special touches throughout the the three days and each one added layers of ceremony and reverence to the deep learning space we were all in. I came away feeling calm, centred and ready to explore how to add my new skills into my work with confidence. I would highly recommend anyone looking to learn about facilitating pregnancy yoga enrols in the Expanse.”

— Amy, birth worker (the Expanse 2024)

“I am incredibly grateful to have found ‘The Expanse’ pregnancy yoga teacher training! Emma’s training truly lives up to its name—it goes far beyond merely learning to support bodies during pregnancy. Emma’s calm and nurturing guidance created a beautiful and safe learning environment that allowed us to explore and grow. I not only gained valuable knowledge but also confidence in my ability to support myself and others through their pregnancy journeys.”

— Ash, yoga teacher (the Expanse 2024)

Some more logistics.

DATES AND TIMES

The training takes place on October 4, 5, and 6. We’ll be in session from approximately 9:30am to 4:30pm each day, with exact timings to be confirmed closer to the start date.

LOCATION

We gather for our training at Shine Shakti yoga studio within Waratah Holistic Health, 1/82 Waratah St in Katoomba.

There are plenty of cafes and accommodation options nearby if you’re coming from further away.

FAQs.

  • $1050 is the investment. A deposit of $300 is required to secure your booking, and payment plans are available.

  • You have 3 options for payment:

    1. Pay $1050 up front to secure your spot.

    2. Pay a $300 deposit to reserve a place and pay the remaining $750 by April 15th.

    3. Pay a deposit of $300 to secure your spot and then 4 x payments of $200 (includes a $50 admin fee) by April 15th. Payments can be scheduled as per your needs.

    Payments are online and secure via Stripe.

  • There are 18 in-person hours of training. There is additional self-directed learning and study of approximately 10 hours, plus 4 hours of sample content.

  • Yep!

  • Nope. Sorry not sorry to dash any hopes of certifiable CPD hours. I myself am not affiliated with peak bodies like Yoga Australia or Yoga Alliance, because my values do not align with theirs. I am aware of their standards for training and can confidently assure you that this training exceeds their accreditation requirements. Given the modern context of pregnancy and birth, I'm not cool with an external body controlling or signing off on a pregnancy yoga training.

  • None. You can be a yoga teacher, or not. You can work in healthcare or birthwork, or not. You can be accredited in your profession, or not. You can have yoga experience, or not.

    The training is tailored to suit a variety of possible backgrounds and settings for sharing/teaching.

  • Absolutely. If you have anything health conditions, you can let me know about them so that we can make sure any practices are suitable for you.

  • Babies in arms are welcome for most parts of the in-person training. I recommend you have care for your little one for practical parts so that you can get the most out of it.

    If you need connections to local babysitters or nannies, please ask me.

    Breastfeeding is welcome.

  • This might not be the training for you if you're not ready to practice teaching in front of a group. There are plenty of pregnancy yoga teacher trainings out there that have zero or minimal practical teaching requirements, and this isn't one of those.

    The practical teaching components are flexible: for example, a yoga teacher may teach a 30-minute sequence, another yoga teacher may lead 20 minutes of breathing and relaxation, a doula may roleplay a scenario of supporting a client with yoga-inspired exercises, and a women's circle facilitator may apply yoga philosophy and practices to a pregnancy circle setting. Teaching can be tailored to each individual.

  • Some are reflective, and others are more practical. You won't be quizzed on your knowledge and there is nothing that you need to "pass".

  • Let's chat! Contact me here, and I'll email you to set a time for a 15-20 minute phone or video call.

Practical and powerful.

Become confident and expanded in your ability to support the pregnant women in your world.

The expanse of pregnancy beckons…

Let’s stay in touch! Make sure you don’t miss any magic…

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